


Part of Your World

by damerey_knows



Series: ALL THE DAMEREY ONE SHOTS 2020 [3]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Canon-Typical Violence, Deviates From Canon, F/M, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Sirens, The Little Mermaid AU, mermaid au, more tags to come, some violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23290699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/damerey_knows/pseuds/damerey_knows
Summary: Rey is princess of the sea. Desperate to get out from under the thumb of her grandfather, she does the one thing she knows she shouldn't....Rescue a human
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Rey
Series: ALL THE DAMEREY ONE SHOTS 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1616980
Comments: 64
Kudos: 56
Collections: Damerey Discord Shenanigans





	1. The Human

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so.... this is for @thewintersoldierdisaster on tumblr who posted a prompt list asking for a Damerey!Disney Au and, though this isn't one that was on the original list, I think I did okay with it. 
> 
> Shoutout to [GothamOracle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothamOracle/pseuds/GothamOracle) for beta reading for me tonight <3
> 
> Hope you guys are all safe and healthy in these crazy times <3
> 
> There are some warnings in this chapter I will put them in the end note if you don't want to be spoiled 
> 
> Hope you enjoy <3  
> -Jumana

Rey darted between the high reeds. She knew she shouldn't be near the shipwrecks but she couldn't help it. She found things there, some useful things that she could save or trade. She didn't have much, well, not much that was hers, anyways.

Her grandfather was the king of Atlantis, but Rey knew just how temperamental he could be. His rise to the throne had been marked by strange disappearances and shrouded in a darkness Rey didn't like. She had lived with him for the last ten years, ever since her own parents had gone missing.

Rey dreamed of the day when her little treasure trove was enough for her to make her escape.

She swum past the reeds and between two large boulders, ignoring the broken planks that were laying on top of them. Flipping her long, powerful tail she sped closer.

She could see the ship coming into view up ahead through the gloom of the deeper ocean. It was a large one, she could tell it had once been ornate. Some of the windows were still intact, Rey went closer as she glanced over her shoulder, keeping an eye out for her Grandfather's bodyguards. It wouldn't be the first time he had sent them after her when she left the palace. She dodged under a broken pole and around a long line of netting. She frowned at that. She didn’t like the nets. They sometimes caught things that the humans didn't understand.

She swam through the broken doorway and into what looked like a room of sorts. The slight shine that radiated off of her white scales illuminating the dim space. Looking around, she saw the remains of what she assumed used to be a table.

One of the things Rey couldn't help but be curious about was the surface world. She longed to know more about humans. Everything she knew about them came from the things she scavenged on the ocean floor. She had once found a contraption that was made of glass and metal. She was curious about the blackened fabric that stuck out of it. She had seen fire only once before, when a ship had been struck by lightning out at sea. Her grandfather had sent some of his best out there to find the ship and drag all the humans aboard down to the deepest parts of the ocean. He had brought Rey along that day, and Rey, at the tender age of eleven, had learned that no matter how cruel he was to her when there were no prying eyes, her grandfather could be downright monstrous to those he didn’t consider part of his legacy.

She shook her head to clear it of the images of men struggling in the arms of the merpeople her grandfather commanded. She pitied the humans who had sunken, but that day had sparked a curiosity inside of her that she had yet to quell. They were much more interesting than Atlantians in Rey’s opinion. Rey didn’t want to spend the rest of her life in a castle, deep in the depths of the ocean, avoiding her grandfather’s “lessons” and trying to lessen the cruelty he inflicted upon any ship that crossed their waters. Ships like the one that Rey was swimming through at this moment. She wanted to learn the nuances of the surface world, to see what sand felt like when it was dry. She longed to see what lay further inland, deeper than she could see from the shores.

She swum deeper into the room and opened a drawer, pulling out a long metal object. It looked almost like her grandfather’s trident, but there were four prongs instead of three, and they weren’t hooked at the end.

Rey tucked the object into the bag that swung near her waist and continued rummaging through the drawers along the side of the room. She found a wax cylinder, a leather pouch, and a device she couldn’t make heads nor tails over. It was circular with drawings etched into the metal.

Rey slid the moving parts around a little before tucking it into her bag. She’d inspect it more closely later.

She left the shipwreck and swum upwards, towards the surface. Rey often liked to see what her objects looked like in the bright light of day.

As Rey neared the surface she realized that the sun was setting into the western seas, and directly above her a large shadow loomed. Dodging to the side, she realized it was the hull of another boat.

She took a deep breath before breaching the surface, taking a moment for her gills to smooth down into flat skin before she took a breath of air. The switch was always a bit jarring, but Rey had done it enough times that it was almost second nature to her.

She looked up at the ship above her. It was large, larger than the wreck she had just left. The hull was a rich, dark brown, and far above her she could see openings that would lead into the bowels of the ship.

She gasped as she realized she could hear voices from the deck. Voices and music. It was unlike the mersongs Rey knew, there were no words to these songs. The voices were merely talking and cheering. Rey realized that she had never been this close to a human before.

Curiosity bubbled up in her chest as she glanced around her. She spotted a rope dragging in the water, fastened far above, where she could not see.

Rey swum over as fast as she could and yanked on the rope. It seemed steady enough. She fastened her satchel tighter around her and, with a great effort, she began pulling herself upwards towards the raucous laughter above. She settled herself on a large metal cylinder that jutted from the ship just below the deck. Keeping her head low she peered over the side.

Rey had been to parties before, but these were different. The humans were jumping around, stamping their feet to the reedy sound of the music. She looked through the legs of the humans to the center of the group.

She tried not to gasp at what she saw. The man who was dancing in the center was very handsome; his dark hair bounced in loose curls as he danced, his smile bright as he moved to the music.

She couldn’t quite place it, but something in her warmed at the smile. Rey imagined, however fruitlessly, a scene in which that brilliant smile was directed at her.

The man danced and danced, laughing as an animal came bounding up to him. It was large, covered in white and gray fur, and seemed to take pleasure in the movements.

As she watched, the man leaned down to the animal to hug him. Rey let out a giggle as the man jerked back when the animal tried to lick his mouth.

It was a small noise, but apparently it was loud enough. The animal turned towards her and let out a loud “ _Bwoof_ ” of delight when he caught sight of her and ran towards the railing.

“What do you see, Beebs?” the man asked, following the animal.

Alarmed, Rey slid off of her perch and moved to one lower down, out of line of sight of the man.

The animal, Beebs, gave another “ _Bwoof_ ” as his master walked to the side of the ship. Rey could see them both from this angle. The man leaned against the railing, staring out across the open sea. “It is beautiful, isn’t it Beebs?”

The animal stuck his head over the railing and, as if he could sense where Rey was, turned his nose down towards her and made another noise.

Rey, panicked, didn’t think twice before sliding off of her perch and diving back into the waters below. Her grandfather might be a cruel man, but she’d heard stories of what sailors did to merpeople and they were almost always unpleasant.

She slipped back into the water with as small a splash as she could manage. As soon as her gills had reopened, Rey spun around and rose to the surface again, poking her head up just far enough for her eyes to clear the water.

She looked up to see the man with the curly hair leaning further out over the railing. His eyes were searching for something, a worried look on his face.

Had he heard her? Was he coming after her? Rey didn’t know. She kept herself low to the water, keeping her gills underwater in case she needed to make a quick getaway.

She slid closer to the ship, hiding in the shadows just below the man.

“Wonder what that was, Beebs,” his voice was so low Rey could barely make it out over the sound of the waves bumping along the side of the ship. Rey listened closely but the man didn’t say anything else.

Another voice called out, “Poe!” and the man left to answer the new voice.

She ended up staying with the ship later than she had planned. She couldn’t explain her desire to stay, her curiosity with this human, Poe, in particular. But her tardiness meant that she had to stash her bag quickly in her cave before racing back to the palace before she was missed.

* * *

Rey managed to slide through the window of her room just as her attendant knocked on the door a second time.

“Come in,” Rey called, hoping she didn’t sound too out of breath as she brushed the loose strands of hair back behind her ears and sat down at her vanity.

Never one to wait, Rose opened the door, closing it quickly behind her. “Where have you been?” she hissed as she darted towards Rey.

“I—” Rey started but Rose was already talking over her, bustling around looking for Rey’s hairbrush.

“If you say you went to another shipwreck I’m going to smack you,” Rose continued, yanking Rey’s hair out of the three buns she had tied it back in while she was out. Her grandfather didn’t like the style.

“Um...”

“You’re going to get both of us in trouble.” Rose drew the brush through her hair, her hands softer than before.

“I’m trying to get us both out of here,” Rey whispered.

Rose’s hands paused. “And how’s that going?” she said equally quietly. Rey knew that Rose was just as miserable here as she was. She wouldn’t leave her friend to deal with the fall out of her disappearance alone.

“Soon.”

“Where would we even go?”

Rey paused at that. There were other places, places outside of Atlantis, but her grandfather controlled the whole ocean. “I’ll think of something.”

Rose helped her prepare for the dinner that evening, smearing the dark kohl around her eyes and making sure she was presentable for the evening.

“What’s happening tonight?” Rey asked as Rose finished up.

“They’re going on a hunt.”

Rey’s stomach sank. She hated hunts. She loved singing, it reminded her of her mother. But singing to take down ships that crossed their waters was a different kind of singing, a darker kind.

Rey sighed, running her fingers through her hair one last time before rising from her vanity. “Okay, then. Let’s get this over with.”

Dinner went as well as can be expected. Which meant that Rey’s grandfather, the Emperor, took little to no notice of his only heir as they ate, speaking primarily to his advisers.

As they were finishing up her grandfather turned to her and said, “You will accompany the forward squadron on the hunt tonight.”

Rey blinked up at him, startled. Her grandfather almost never sent her in the forward squadron, he rarely ever let her participate, not after she had miscalculated her song on her first hunt when she was fifteen and the human got away.

“Yes, Grandfather,” she said in as steady a voice as she could manage.

“Their ship was spotted to the west, we will leave within the hour,” he continued, his voice cracking as his discolored eyes focused on her. “Prepare yourself.”

“Yes, Grandfather.” She rose from the table and swum out of the room, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had just come from the western waters.

Hurrying to the armory, she collected her things quickly and returned just in time for their departure.

_‘What am I going to do?’_

* * *

The journey to the ship was quick. Apparently, the humans were in no rush to get wherever they were going and the vessel was slowly sliding through the calm water. The ship was quieter than before, as if the party Rey had witnessed was dying out. The moon’s greenish shine illuminated the waters below, where a dozen merpeople had gathered, surrounding the ship.

Rey looked around her as she surfaced, her gills sealing themselves once again. Nearby, there was an outcropping of rocks, not near enough to elicit concern from the sailors, but close enough that Rey knew what her grandfather’s strategy would be.

She looked to the merpeople on either side of her. She recognized several of them from the palace, but Grandfather had never let her socialize with them. Now, under the pale moonlight, they looked different, dangerous.

Rey glanced up at the ship. She thought she could make out the familiar curly hair of Poe from an inside window but she couldn’t be sure at this distance. To her left, the mermaid called Nina began the song. There were no words in the song, but Rey could feel the longing that arose, the temptation inspired by the voices as she and the others joined Nina.

The first sailor to emerge on deck, already enthralled by the song, was the night watchman. Then others came. One by one they began lining up along the railings, jostling each other for positions, searching for the creatures who sang to them of love and longing. Rey's voice was clear and strong, it was easily distinguishable from the others, higher, more resonance to it, even though her heart wasn't in the song. Her voice was exemplary among mermaids, legendary even amongst the other powerful voices in the Palpatine line.

She didn't want to see this vessel sink, she didn't want to see the man with the curly hair fall to the depths.

Just as Rey thought about him, the man emerged on the deck, his hair swirling in the slight breeze that had started up. She could see him looking around at the other men on deck with worry. He wasn’t completely under the sway of the song. Not yet at least. Rey could hear the deep " _Bwoof_ " of the animal he seemed to love as she continued her song. Like his master, the animal wasn't swayed in the slightest, he kept pulling at his master's hand, trying to pull him back down stairs into the cabins of the ship.

Just like that, a thought occurred to Rey. Focusing on the man, Rey began to sing, concentrating all of her formidable power on him. Slowly, ever so slowly, Rey could see the song taking root in his mind, drawing him to where she was in the waters. Her grandfather be damned she would save this one human.

Her song swelled and the animal glanced over at her as his master climbed up on the railing. " _Bwoof_ " Beebs called again. Tugging on the back of the man's shirt. Rey watched, her song never wavering as Poe leapt from the edge.

He was the first to jump, landing directly in the waters before her. As he sank Rey followed him. She could hear the water reverberate as the rest of the sailors began to take their cues from the other mermaids' song and jumped as well.

Rey dove as Poe sunk, wrapping her arms around the man's sturdy chest and pulled him against her. As they sank lower, the water seemed to awaken him a little from the song’s stupor and he began to struggle weakly against her arms trying to reach the surface. Rey turned him to face her, taking his face in her hands she pressed a kiss to his lips, breathing air into his mouth before turning and pulling him away from the ship. She couldn’t do anything for the other men, but Rey knew that this one was special. She saw his eyes widen as he stared at her through the gloom of the dark waters.

Rey kept him under water as much as she could, her powerful tail speeding them away from the soon to be wrecked ship, pausing every few minutes to breath more air into his lungs. Before they got too far, Rey looked back. In the distance, the fuzzy legs of his animal followed them. She reasoned with herself that she would go back for the animal if she could. The animal had done nothing wrong, he hadn't caused any of this, and the other mermaids wouldn’t harm him.

Rey swam further and further away, dodging through the rocks and skimming close to the surface, trying to keep out of sight of her grandfather's reinforcements. She knew what would happen if they were caught now, and she couldn't bear to see it happen.

She swam like as fast as she could for as long as she could, the man had passed out a while back, but her arms didn’t let him go. She found a cove, near to where she believed their ship had last made birth. Swimming close to the shore, Rey dragged him up and onto the sand. The surf was shallow, but Rey beached herself far enough that his head wouldn’t drop under water.

Laying him on his back, Rey looked at his face more closely. There was a fine stubble of hair on his cheeks and chin which Rey found pleasantly scratchy against her palm, his jaw was angled, and his lips were soft. Rey tried not to remember how they felt against her lips as she helped him breath. No that wouldn’t do. Rey couldn't help noticing how sturdy his arms and chest were in the water soaked shirt. Her hands moved over his chest, noticing for the first time that he wasn't breathing.

"No," she murmured to herself. He couldn't have drowned, not after all she'd done. Pressing her hands to his chest, she pushed hard, hoping that that was the right thing to do. "Wake up," she whispered. She pressed her hands against his chest again, harder. This time, the man began coughing, water coming out of his mouth as he rolled to his side and tried to sit up.

Rey put her hand on his chest and pushed him back down to lie in the sand. "You'll be safe now," she whispered, smiling as her hand ran through his wet hair, brushing it back from his forehead.

"You saved me," he whispered, his voice hoarse as his hand reached up to touch her cheek. Rey, entranced by his deep brown eyes sat there motionless until, just before he touched her, the sound of shouts came from up the beach.

Rey jerked her head up, her eyes searching the trees before quickly sliding herself back into the water. She swam further into the ocean, hiding behind an outcropping of rock as she watched the men come closer to where she had left Poe on the beach.

The new men were shouting as they spotted him. She watched as they hurried to him, checking him over and helping him sit upright.

Rey was far enough out that she couldn't see his eyes, but she knew he was looking out across the breaking waves, looking for her as the sun began to peak over the horizon behind him.

Without waiting any longer, Rey slid back under water and left, a small bubble of pride taking root in her chest. She had saved him, she had saved one person from her grandfather. The price would come later, she knew, but for now she was proud of what she had done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning from notes:
> 
> >Rey uses her siren song to coerce Poe into jumping off the ship.
> 
> >Rey kisses Poe a few times to give him oxygen while they are swimming underwater. It's purely asexual and to keep him alive, basically CPR, but i know that might bother people so I thought I would make a note of it here just in case.
> 
> >>If you want to skip both of these it starts where it says "Focusing on the man, Rey..." and ends "Before they got too far, Rey looked back. "
> 
> End notes
> 
> So what did you think?  
> Jumana


	2. The Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay wow, got this finished quicker than I'd expected.... that's what quarantine will do to you i guess. 
> 
> Shout out to [GothamOracle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothamOracle/pseuds/GothamOracle) for beta reading for me again!
> 
> ALSO The wonderful @x-wings-and-lightsabers on tumblr made this [awesome fan art of this fic!!!!!](https://x-wings-and-lightsabers.tumblr.com/post/614245921458421760/i-drew-a-picture-for-the-wonderful-fic-written-by)  
> Thank you so much I love it <3<3<3
> 
> Hope you all are staying safe and healthy   
> Enjoy!  
> Jumana

Rey swum lazily away from the cove where she’d left Poe, a smile plastered to her face. She’d be late to the palace, but she couldn’t help it. Her mood was too high for any kind of seriousness. Her mind kept returning to the way he’d reached out to her on the beach, how he’d looked out over the cove, looking for her.

She headed towards the shipwreck, swirling through the currents as she went, spinning so the ends of her tunic swirled around her, admiring the shine of her scales between the flowing fabric. She laughed at her silliness and turned to swim towards the shipwreck.

The ship itself was mostly intact. From what Rey could see the majority of the damage was contained to the gaping hole in the starboard hull, but there were still a lot of new things scattered on the ocean floor. She made a note to come back and dig through it later to see what she could find.

Just as she was about to leave and head back to the palace, a sparkle of silver caught Rey’s eye. She swam down. A thin chain was twisted around a broken plank jutting out from the hull of the ship. Swimming closer, Rey disentangled it.

It was a simple thing. A necklace with a small silver ring on it. Both were much more plain than anything her grandfather wore, but Rey thought it was beautiful. She slid the chain around her neck and tucked the ring under her tunic before turning and propelling herself away from the wreckage.

Rey arrived at the palace and swam around to her window.

"Rey," Rose hissed as Rey came into the room, making Rey startle.

"Rose," Rey said reproachfully. "Don't scare me like that."

Rose gave her a look that told Rey more than words could. "Your grandfather is looking for you."

Ice flooded through Rey's veins, shrinking the happy bubble she'd gotten from saving Poe. "Oh?"

Rose pursed her lips. "Where were you all night?"

"I—" Rey started.

"You know what he'll do to us if you disobey him," Rose said quickly. "By Amphitrite's voice, what could possibly be worth risking his wrath?"

Rey opened her mouth to answer but was cut off by a knock at her door.

“Princess, the Emperor requests your presence,” a deep voice called out.

Rose darted over and grabbed Rey’s arm. “What are you going to—”

“Shh,” Rey tried to sooth her friend, but couldn’t quite hide the apprehension from her own face. “It’ll be alright.” Louder she said to the guard, “I’ll be there in a moment.”

“I’m to take you now.”

Rey took a deep breath before nodding. “Here,” she said quickly, before the guard got impatient and came in. Rey yanked the necklace with the ring off of her neck and looped the chain over Rose’s neck. “Hide this for me. It’s special.”

“But—” Rose started, glancing at the ring in her hand, before tucking it under her shirt. “Fine.”

Rey nodded, swimming to the door and opening it to see the guard’s hand extended to knock again.

“You coming?” she asked imperiously as she swum past the guard, her nose tipped up in the haughty manner her grandfather expected her to treat the palace servants. She hated it, but she didn’t need to give him any extra reason to be mad at her.

She and the guard moved through large winding halls of the palace to the throne room. Rey always hated the throne room. It was in the deepest part of the palace, the sunlight that filtered through the slitted doorways and windows was almost nonexistent, only truly illuminated when some of her grandfather’s pet eels sparked.

In the center of the room was the throne. Large, black spires of volcanic rock jutting from a central point. The whole thing looked like an explosion captured in rock and held in that moment just after the initial blast.

“Come here, child,” Emperor Palpatine’s voice echoed from the throne. “You have been gone for some time.”

Rey swam forwards, coming to a halt a little distance in front of the throne. She folded her hands in front of her, keeping her back straight and her head high, praying that her nerves didn’t show through her demeanor.

Palpatine’s yellow, diseased eyes studied her figure. “You do not appear to be injured.”

“I am not, Grandfather,” Rey said in a brusque, businesslike voice.

“You are not injured, and you show no signs of struggle.” The Emperor’s voice had a note of cool amusement, as if he were an angler fish smiling in wait for a careless minnow to swim into it’s maw. “So how is it you are so very late to return to Atlantis? The rest of the fighters have been back for hours, yet no one could account for your whereabouts.”

Rey took another breath. “I had taken a sailor deep, it took some time to subdue him, but I managed it. He was particularly resistant to the voice of the others’ songs. I thought I could subdue him easier if I could isolate him.”

Cold eyes studied her. “Where is his body?”

“Dumped it in the Trench,” Rey said, her voice quick but even, the lie firm on her face as she stared into his expression. The Trench was deep enough and dangerous enough, even her grandfather wouldn’t send a scout down to look for a body. Probably.

“And what if I were to tell you that the prince, the very same prince you were seen taking to the Trench, was spotted walking on shore barely an hour ago?”

Rey’s stomach churned, but she was careful not to reveal anything.

The Emperor swirled his hand before himself and a current wrapped around Rey, dragging her in front of him, her eyes barely a foot from his.

“Don’t lie to me.” The cold voice was back again. “You helped the human escape, didn’t you.”

Rey struggled against the tightening current around her arms. “Why would I save a human?” she asked in a strained voice. “What could I possibly gain from that?” As she spoke, Rey remembered the man’s tan face, the way he’d looked at her in amazement, the proud feeling that she wasn’t going to add him to her grandfather’s body count. She had quite a lot to gain from not bowing to her grandfather’s whims.

Palpatine flipped his hand in an exasperated manner. The current holding Rey flung her onto the cold floor of the throne room, the side of her face slamming into the smooth black rock.

She pushed herself upright, already feeling a bruise forming on her cheek.

“You think I can’t tell when you’re lying to me?” Palpatine’s voice rose. “You have disobeyed me for years.” Another wave of his hand and a guard came forward from a side chamber, towing a large cart of—

Rey stifled a gasp as she recognized the contents of her cavern in the cart.

“Care to explain what these are?”

“I have never seen any of that before, Grandfather.” Rey, usually so adept at hiding things from Palpatine, could hear the lie falling flat.

“You disobey me, you save one of those accursed land-dwellers, and now you think you can hide your lies from me?”

Rey stared up at Palpatine, anxiously dreading his next words.

"You will learn to behave."

Rey had a split second to dart from her spot on the ground before lightning erupted from the Emperor's hands, shattering the rock floor.

Rey fled the throne room as murderous screams followed her. She was quick, her tunic made her much quicker than the armored guards Palpatine sent after her as she raced between pillars and out of the courtyard.

"Rey!" she heard a familiar voice call. Turning, Rey could see Rose's pale pink tail shimmering just above the palace wall.

She paused, long enough for the guards to get closer. Rey jerked into motion again and raced towards Rose.

"Let's go!" Rose called as Rey got closer. Rey could see a bag around Rose's back, but that was the only thought she could spare for Rose's appearance before grabbing her hand, the two of them racing out of Atlantis.

* * *

It took awhile to lose the guards, but Rose managed to hide them both in a shallow cave in the middle of the Hot Baths. The field of high pressure jets erupted all around them, shooting scalding water high towards the surface. The palace guards seemed to give up on the chase when one of them was scorched by a jet.

Rey and Rose waited in the cave as long as they could before venturing out. They’d managed to get out of the Hot Baths without incident, but Rey felt, truly for the first time, that they were on their own.

On their own. They didn’t have to worry about appearances. But Rey remembered they would have the whole ocean after them soon enough.

“Where are we going to go?” Rose asked as they made their way further from Atlantis.

Rey glanced back. A dark shadow seemed to hover around the city. Taking a deep breath, she turned her back on it. “Away from here, we’ll figure something out.”

“Your cavern though,” Rose asked as they swum. “All that stuff you were saving. What are we going to do without it?”

Rey gave a small laugh. “You think that was my only cavern?”

“Wait, what?” Rose stopped short.

“C’mon,” Rey said, tugging on her arm. “We should get going.”

* * *

“No!” Rey cried as she rolled back the stone that had been hiding her furthest stash. Darting inside, she stared at the wreckage around her. Everything, every possibly useful thing she’d scavenged over the course of years, was destroyed. If he had found this one then Palpatine had found the rest. Rey crumpled to the ocean floor, her breath coming in shaking gasps as she tried to reconcile what had happened with her foolish hope from earlier.

Rose settled next to her, her tail brushing alongside Rey’s as they held each other.

“Poor children,” a stern male voice above them said. “So ready to run, but so ill prepared for the ocean outside.”

Rey’s head snapped up. A huge eel, bigger even than the ones her grandfather kept, came into view through a vent at the top of the cavern. “What do you want?” she demanded, pulling Rose in close to her side, readying them both to run or fight.

“Settle down now,” said another female voice from directly behind them. “We only want to help.”

“What do you mean help?” Rose asked, and Rey smiled when she saw Rose pull a long knife from in her bag.

“We know exactly what you’re running from,” the male said as he slithered through the water towards them, coming to swirl around them. “And we know someone who can help.”

“Someone,” the female added, “who can help you go somewhere even your grandfather cannot follow.”

“That’s not possible,” Rey said, pulling out the blade that had been strapped to her waist. “He controls the seas.”

“But what if,” the male said, “you could go out of the seas.”

“What?”

“Go out and live amongst the humans,” the female added.

Rey’s defensive posture slackened. “You can do that?”

“We can’t,” the two said in unison. “But we know someone who can.”

“Take us to him,” Rey said quickly.

The two eels grinned widely and led the two mermaids out of the cavern and into the deeper, darker parts of the sea.

* * *

“This way,” the eels hissed in unison as they entered a dark cave in the face of the undersea mountain before them.

Rey eyed the cavern cautiously.

“Come in, Princess,” a deep voice echoed out of the darkness within.

“Rey,” Rose hissed, grabbing her arm as Rey poked her head into the darkened cave. “We shouldn’t be here.”

“Rose, you saw what happened in Atlantis, you saw what my grandfather did,” Rey said with a scowl. “He’s not going to change, we have no other options.”

Rose pursed her lips. Rey tugged her arm from Rose and swam into the cave.

The cave was spooky. Shriveled emaciated anemone surrounded Rey as she went deeper. Ray felt a hand wrap around her wrist and jumped, but it was only Rose, a determined look on her face. “If you’re going through with this, I’m not leaving you alone.”

Rey smiled.

"I don't have all day," the deep voice said.

They turned around a bend in the tunnel and came out into a large room. There was a cauldron in the center; cabinets lined the walls, overflowing with jars of substances Rey didn't want to focus on too hard.

Rey saw the two eels swimming in lazy swirls around the cauldron.

"Tell me, Princess, what would you give up to leave this world for another?"

Rey saw a long, black tentacle emerge from a dark crevice at the back of the room. The Sea Demon Kylo Ren emerged, his movements slick, like oil.

Rey had never seen a merman like him, and felt a shiver of revulsion slide down her spine. He was unnatural, wrong. But he might be able to help her.

_Cecaelia_ , Rey realized. _He’s a Cecaelia_. But whether cursed like that or simply born that way, Rey couldn’t tell.

"What's your price?" she asked, cautiously.

His smile was as slimy as the rest of him. "My dear Princess, I am very reasonable." He slid along the bottom of the cave towards them. His hand came out to trail his finger against her cheek. “I know you’ve heard the stories, but I am not that person. Not anymore. I’ve changed.”

“Rey,” Rose whispered in her ear, a warning.

“Come now,” Ren said, gesturing to the cauldron in the center of the room. “Let’s see what I can offer.”

Rey and Rose drifted closer to him, looking into the greenish glow that radiated from inside the cauldron.

As they approached, Rey could see shapes moving in the potion. Swirling patterns that solidified into the familiar face of Prince Poe.

Rey gasped, her eyes darting up to Ren’s face.

He was already watching her. “It seems that you and the dashing prince have a connection to discover.”

“Who is that, Rey?” Rose asked.

Rey could feel her hand trembling in Rose’s. “The human I saved last night.”

Rose looked at her and then quickly back down at the potion.

The image of Poe dissolved into four brilliantly bright stars and an image of a human girl running. Then it transformed into a heart.

“There’s your spell, my sweet,” Ren said as he leaned away from the cauldron.

“What do you mean?” she said, suppressing a shudder at the way he was leering at her. 

“Four days,” Ren held up four fingers. “I can grant you legs for four days. You will have four sunsets to get the little princeling to fall in love with you. To get him to give you a kiss, a kiss born of that love. Fail to do so in the alloted time, and you’ll return here, and belong to me.”

“How does that save Rose?” Rey demanded. Rose was the only family Rey cared about, she wasn’t leaving her here to deal with this demon or her grandfather alone.

“If you are successful, the girl will join you on land,” Ren said, raising a hand to his heart and scratching an X above it. “On my word,” he said as the X glowed and faded.

“Rey,” Rose cautioned once again, but Rey brushed her off.

“You said there was a price?” she asked.

Ren’s leer was back. “What I need from you is, your voice.”

“But—” Rey couldn’t bear the thought of losing her voice. “How am I supposed to do anything without my voice? How can I—”

“That’s your dilemma to solve, isn’t it,” Ren sneered. “I’m sure you can find… other ways to impress your prince.” He paused to let his eyes trail up and down Rey’s figure.

Rey suppressed another shudder at this. Turning away from the cauldron she swam back towards the mouth of the cave slowly, her mind racing.

“Rey,” Rose asked, swimming up to her. “What are you thinking?” Rey could hear the concern in her voice. “We can find another way, Rey.”

Rey took another deep breath. “No, I’ll do it.”

“But—” Rose was interrupted by Ren’s laughter.

“Excellent,” he said, sliding over to one of the cabinets, pulling various bottles out.

As they watched him work, Rose leaned over to Rey. “Are you sure about this?” she asked.

“Not really,” Rey said as whatever Ren threw into the cauldron emitted a bright flash of light.

“Then why—”

“Just promise me,” Rey cut in. “Promise me you’ll look after yourself until I can finish this deal. Promise me you’ll stay close to the shore.”

Rose pursed her lips and nodded.

“Come, Princess,” Ren called, his leer back in place.

Rey squeezed Rose’s hand one last time before pulling away and swimming to stand opposite the cauldron from him.

“Now, sing.”

As Rey began to sing a high clear note the potion began to swirl, spiraling up and out of the cauldron into a glowing yellow cloud above their heads.

“Keep singing!” Ren yelled as he began chanting.

Rey was transfixed, her voice rising as the yellow cloud swirled around her head. Rey could feel something cold slide around her throat and into her mouth. Before she could react it pulled away, carrying with it a bright, white object.

Rey gasped when she saw it, immediately closing her mouth. But the song kept going.

It was her voice. The song swelled as the glowing object floated through the yellow murk towards Kylo Ren. The moment it flowed into the mouth of the shell the song cut off and Rey could hear Kylo’s laughter starting up again.

Suddenly, the swirling yellow began to churn, like a sea in a storm. It descended around Rey, enveloping her in thick, oily water.

Rey choked on her last breath as she felt warmth engulfing her tail. She couldn’t breathe, her hands slapped over her neck feeling for her gills, but they were gone. 

Suddenly, she wasn’t flipping her tail to stay in place, she was kicking two separate appendages. 

Strong arms wrapped around her stomach and a powerful tail flashed. She could hear Ren’s cackle, and suddenly she was being dragged away from his darkened cavern, speeding through the water.

Up and up and up.

Rey saw black spots dancing in front of her eyes when…

Her head broke the surface, and she coughed, gasping for air. Salt scratched her throat as her lungs expelled the water.

“You’re okay,” Rey heard a familiar voice say to her as the same strong arms tugged her sideways. Rey could just make out Rose’s black hair before she passed out in the other mermaid’s arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So thoughts...
> 
> Sorry Poe didn't really get a lot of screen time in this chapter, but never fear he will be in the next one!   
> <3  
> Jumana


	3. The First Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a short and sweet chapter, hope you like it 😊😊
> 
> Jumana

Rey felt the hard stone under her cheek before anything else. Her head felt fuzzy and her throat was raw. She coughed, hoping to clear the feeling away.

Opening her eyes, Rey realized something was very different. The light around her was bright and slightly yellow, not the greenish tint she was used to. Belatedly, Rey realized she wasn't underwater anymore. Sitting up straight, she looked around at the lagoon around her. She was sitting in the shallows, the water reaching her waist as she sat on the rocky earth.

“Rey?” a voice asked to her left. “Are you okay?”

Rey turned to see Rose hovering in the shallows, her pink tail twitching nervously behind her as she stared up at Rey.

Rey nodded looking down at her lap, still expecting to see scales. She moved as if to pull her tail up and saw white skin, the same color as her arms, emerge from the water. She poked at the skin and found it smooth, her knees were bent and Rey could feel the pebbled ocean floor beneath where her feet rested.

“ _It worked!_ ” Rey shouted, or rather, she tried to shout. Her voice wasn’t there anymore. She could feel her mouth moving with the words, could feel the air passing through her lips with the words, but there wasn’t any sound to them.

“Rey?” Rose asked again.

Rey nodded at her, grinning from ear to ear. The oddity of not being able to speak was overshadowed by the excitement she felt at her new legs. She was human!

“What are we going to do now?” Rose asked, glancing over Rey’s shoulder at the shoreline.

Rey didn’t focus on her daunting words, but instead used the boulder behind her to push herself upright.

Standing was harder than she had expected. Her knees were wobbly as she let go of the boulder. She managed to stand, her hands held out in front of her to keep her balance as she gave a soundless laugh. She was doing it. She tried to take a step and stumbled, landing in the water with a hard splash.

“Rey!” Rose pulled herself closer to where Rey sat.

Rey waved her off with a smile as she pulled herself to her feet. She tried to keep from tripping in the trails of her sash as she walked back and forth in front of Rose, quickly gaining her shore-legs.

“What are you going to do now?” Rose asked.

Rey looked up at the beach and noticed for the first time it was the same beach where she had left Poe the day before. Rey pointed at it and looked questioningly back at Rose.

“I thought this would be the best place to find him again,” Rose said, pulling herself into a seated position. “No point in you going to shore a hundred miles away from your prince charming.”

Rey rolled her eyes, trying to hide the blush that she could feel on her cheeks. Prince charming. Poe. She looked down at her legs again. They were bare, the only thing covering her was the edge of her tunic and the sodden ends of her sash. She didn’t know much about the humans but she did know that they wore some kind of clothing on their lower halves.

Rose seemed to understand what the predicament was and they managed to find a scrap of sailcloth that had washed ashore. Rey wrapped it around her lower half and tied the ends in place.

“Oh here.” Rose pulled a chain from beneath her own blouse. “You should have this back.” She held out the ring Rey had given to her for safekeeping before she met with her grandfather yesterday.

“ _Thank you_ ,” Rey tried to say, smiling widely as she took the necklace from Rose. Tucking it beneath her own tunic, she continued to practice pacing on the uneven sand.

“You still didn’t answer my question,” Rose said from where she sat, watching Rey. “What are you going to do now?”

Rey looked down the shore, in the distance she could see the shadowy outline of a building. Just then she heard a loud sound, the same sound that Poe’s furry friend made on the ship. A loud, happy “ _bwoof._ ”

Rey grimaced at Rose and gestured for her to hide. Rose leaped into action, and a good thing too, for no sooner had Rose’s silky black hair disappeared beneath the surface than a large, familiar mass of fur came bounding into view.

“ _Bwoof!_ ” the creature barked as he ran up to Rey.

Rey tried to run from the creature, but he kept moving towards her, panting and barking and trying to put it’s long slobbery tongue on her face as she stumbled away and onto a boulder.

“Beebs!” a familiar voice called out.

The creature turned and barked in the direction of his owner before continuing to try and jump up to Rey in his excitement.

“Where are you, boy?” the voice called out again, and then Rey saw Poe come into view.

He was wearing a dark shirt and his hair looked even curlier in the bright morning sunlight. Rey's heart beat hard twice before it started racing in her chest. 

Beebs barked once more, his long shaggy fur bouncing around his eyes, then bounded to Poe and back to Rey again.

“Calm down, boy,” Poe said, his stance firm as the mass of fluff tried to jump on him. “What did you f—” His voice trailed off as his eyes met Rey’s across the beach.

Rey sat up straighter, wiping the last of Beebs’s kisses off her cheek and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Hello.” His smile was bright as he walked up to where Rey sat on the boulder. “I’m so sorry about him,” he said as he got closer, pushing the bouncing creature behind him. “Beebs gets a little over excited sometimes, especially when he meets pretty people.”

Rey blushed brilliantly at that.

Poe’s head snapped up. “Uh, I didn’t, I mean.” The way Poe stumbled over his words made Rey smile down at him. She could see the tips of his ears grow endearingly red. “Uh, you look really familiar. Have we met before?”

Rey couldn’t conceal her smile, nor the way the flush on her cheeks flared. He remembered her.

“I’m Poe,” he continued his smile matching hers.

“ _Rey_ ,” she said before remembering, too late, that her voice was lost. Grimacing, Rey gestured towards her throat, mouthing the words.

“You can’t speak?” Poe asked, his brow wrinkling. The wrinkle between his eyebrows deepened as he considered her. “You’re probably not…” he trailed off.

Rey didn’t like his frown.

Poe shook his head as if to rid himself of some errant thought. “Where are you from?” he asked.

Rey smiled slightly at that. She gestured out to the sea and tried to tell him that she’d come from far, she tried to give him a story that she’d been shipwrecked here. Spotting movement out of the corner of her eye, Rey caught a glimpse of Rose watching their interaction from behind a boulder closer to the mouth of the lagoon.

Still learning how to use her legs properly made everything harder. As she got more frustrated with her inability to speak, Rey lost her balance on the rock and fell forwards, letting out a silent yelp.

“Whoa,” Poe said, his strong arms wrapping around her as he caught her. “Careful,” he said a little breathlessly.

Rey could feel her heart speeding up in her chest as she looked up into his deep brown eyes, now inches away from her. She bit her lip as she glanced down at his mouth, trying once again to not think about how his mouth had felt when she had breathed for him while they were both underwater.

Poe smiled at her and pulled away a little. Clearing his throat, he said, “Come on, let’s go up to the castle, get you cleaned up.”

He helped her to her feet as he called out to Beebs.

As they left the beach, Rey cast one look back out over the lagoon, catching sight of Rose’s tale flash before she dove underwater.

* * *

Rose swam away from the lagoon quickly. She knew Rey was capable of taking care of herself and, though she hadn’t been able to hear the Prince’s conversation with Rey, Rose had a good feeling about him. He couldn’t possibly be worse than Rey’s grandfather.

As she dove further into the dark, Rose’s sense of calm disappeared and dread grew in her chest at what awaited her back in Atlantis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?
> 
> Jumana


	4. The Castle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a little bit lighter than the other chapters, a little bit of fluff, but hopefully you guys will enjoy it

Rey’s eyes widened as Poe helped her walk the large stone steps. Thankfully, the palace was close to the waterfront, so it wasn’t too far of a hike. Her new legs were getting stronger every moment, but she still leaned on Poe heavily as they walked into the large entrance hall.

“Never been to a palace before?” Poe asked, his voice carrying a note of gently teasing.

Rey shrugged. Even if she could tell him she had grown up in a palace, he wouldn’t believe it was underwater, or that she had floated through the halls. She didn’t even know how to tell him she had never seen such tapestries before. Floor to ceiling and wall to wall, depicting all kinds of fantastical creatures she had never seen before. She wanted to take a closer look to see how they had been made.

Before she could even attempt to tell him where she wanted to go, a short woman with braided ropes of hair piled on her head appeared at the top of the large staircase.

“Poe! Where have you been?” the woman demanded as she made her way down the stairs.

“Been out walking Beebs,” Poe called back smoothly, gesturing to the animal still panting at Rey’s heels.

Rey smiled down at Beebs, reaching her free hand to pat his shaggy head.

“And who is this?” The older woman’s eyes fixed on Rey in a way that made Rey feel like she was seeing all of her secrets.

“I’m not sure.” Poe’s voice was calm but still cheerful as he talked. “We found her on the beach. I think she was shipwrecked, but she can’t talk.”

“Hmm.”

“This is Mrs. Solo,” Poe said, turning to Rey. “She’s the Stewardess of Yavin Castle. Mrs. Solo, can you please help her get cleaned up? And maybe some new clothing, she doesn’t seem to be all that steady on her feet yet.”

The older woman, Mrs. Solo, nodded and gripped Rey’s elbow and steered her up the steps.

Rey glanced behind her at Poe, catching the edge of a soft, curious smile on his face just before they turned a corner and he disappeared from view.

The room Mrs. Solo led her to had a large bed to one side and a table to the other. There was another tapestry here but this one was different; it stood away from the walls and folded in the middle.

Mrs. Solo walked Rey to the table and sat her down on a large cushioned object.

Mrs. Solo bustled away into another room for something while Rey stared curiously at the objects on the table. She recognized a few, like the hairbrush with the silver handle or the mirror against the wall above the table. There were also a few small boxes. Rey opened one up and found it was full of a whitish powder. Sticking her finger into it, Rey held some up to her face to inspect.

“Oh, honey,” Mrs. Solo said as she came back into the room. “That’s powder. We need to get you cleaned up first.”

Mrs. Solo led her around the screen to where a large tub was set in the corner of the room. The water in the tub was steaming slightly as Mrs. Solo let her stand there.

“You let me know if it’s too hot for you, and I’ll add some cold water to even it out a little,” Mrs. Solo said.

Rey’s ever curious hands were already reaching for the water. She smiled up at Mrs. Solo when she found she could tolerate the heat of it.

Mrs. Solo held out her hand. “If you give me your blouse and— uh skirt, I can get those laundered for you.”

Rey smiled and nodded, stripping off her still damp shirt, sashes and the sailcloth that was still tied around her waist.

Mrs. Solo shook her head, smiling as Rey stepped into the steaming water.

Rey was surprised how comforting the water was. Mrs. Solo poured something that made the water look like sea foam but smelled sweet as the flowers that were sitting on the table. Rey trailed her fingers through the foam, amused as the bubbles didn’t dissipate when she raised a handful out of the water.

Rey sunk into the water until her shoulders were covered. It was a different feeling from the ocean but comforting all the same. Mrs. Solo came around to the back of the tub and pulled the ties out of Rey’s hair before beginning to comb through the knots and pouring sweet smelling oils into it.

Rey played with the bubbles around her lazily as Mrs. Solo worked, humming silently along to the tune that Mrs. Solo was singing.

Sooner than she had expected, the bubbles around Rey were fading and Mrs. Solo was rinsing out her hair.

Rey stood up, still a little wobbly on her legs, but much stronger than she had been just an hour before.

Mrs. Solo wrapped her in a big, fluffy cloth and wrapped another in her hair. As she stepped out of the tub, Rey heard a knock at the door.

“Mrs. Solo,” Poe’s voice came across the room as she heard the door cracking open slightly.

Rey could feel her excitement getting the better of her as she ran out from behind the screen towards him. She wanted to talk to Poe again, and she couldn’t help her haste.

"Oh, hi!" Poe yelped as he saw what she was wearing, or rather not wearing.

As Rey neared him, she stumbled on the edge of the cloth and fell forwards, tumbling into him in her haste.

Poe's arms were around Rey's bare middle, the skin of his forearms hot against her ribs. Rey could see him looking pointedly at a spot on the ceiling as he set her upright. "Mrs. Solo!” Poe shouted in a strained voice.

"Just a second dear." A grin was evident on Mrs. Solo’s voice as she hastened up to Rey and helped her into a robe, fastening the tie around Rey's waist. “All set, sir,” Mrs. Solo said, still smiling.

Rey looked from Mrs. Solo to Poe’s slightly reddened face. Poe didn’t seem all that comfortable with nudity. Or maybe it was just Rey’s nudity. She made a mental note to herself as she looked down at her hands, twisting the hem of the robe between her fingers.

“Ehem.” Poe made a noise as if he had something caught in his throat. “Well, I hope you’re comfortable here.”

Rey looked up at him. His ears were still a little red, but Poe didn’t seem to be disgusted by her appearance. No, there was a strange darkness to his eyes, but Rey couldn’t figure it out.

Remembering her muteness, Rey nodded earnestly. Reaching up to tuck a strand of wet hair behind her ear, Rey saw Poe’s eyes following her hand.

Mrs. Solo cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows at Poe.

Poe seemed to shake himself and smiled wider at Rey. “Yes, I’m glad you are settling in well. Um…” he trailed off, seeming to have lost his words. “Oh! Yes, I wanted to invite you to lunch… um… with me. If you’d like.”

Rey smiled and nodded again.

“Great!” Poe’s smile brightened once more.

“Alright, you two,” Mrs. Solo said, turning to shoo Poe out of the room. “We’ll be downstairs in a few, just give us a chance to get ready.”

Poe’s eyes never really left Rey’s as he was ushered from the room, and with a final wave he was out the door and Mrs. Solo was back and bustling around her.

Twenty minutes later Rey’s hair was brushed and braided back from her face, and she was dressed in a long, deep blue dress.

She had managed to slip out of the shoes Mrs. Solo slid onto her feet, stowing them under the long fabric that hung off of the bed. Rey was still getting used to walking around on just her feet, stumbling around in shoes that made her slightly taller and much less coordinated than she already was, which was not something that Rey was looking forward to.

Rey followed Mrs. Solo down the hallway and into a larger dining room. The long room was nothing like the dining hall at her grandfather’s palace. Though the sun was shining brightly through the large floor to ceiling windows, the walls were lit with candles every few feet and a chandelier hung above the table.

Two figures were standing against the large windows and Rey could just make out their voices as they whispered something.

“—telling you, you need to keep your head clear,” an unfamiliar voice said.

“And I’m telling you, Finn, that I am perfectly fine,” Poe’s voice clearly displayed his irritation as he brushed off his friend’s concerns. “I am quite capable of doing more than one thing at a time.”

“But…” Finn cut himself off as his eyes landed on Rey. “Hello,” he called out to her, smiling.

Rey nodded, smiling back at him, though she had the nagging suspicion that they had been discussing her.

Poe turned to look at her, smiling so brightly his eyes crinkled. “Come in, come in,” he said, rushing forwards to take her hand. He led her to the table and pulled out a seat for her. Rey sat gingerly at the edge of her seat watching as Poe sat at the head of the table.

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss,” Finn said as he took his seat opposite Rey, all signs of his earlier discussion with Poe evaporating as he gave her a friendly smile.

Poe’s eyes hadn’t left Rey since she’d entered the room, the earlier awkwardness gone. She could feel the beginning of a blush rising to her cheeks.

Finn cleared his throat loudly, startling Poe from his trance.

“You look really lovely,” Poe said, sitting up a little straighter but still not looking away from Rey.

 _Thank you,_ Rey tried to say, but again nothing came out, so she smiled as she felt the heat in her cheeks intensifying.

“I don’t think His Highness told me your name,” Finn said with a friendly smile, even as he shot an accusatory look at Poe.

Poe turned a glower at Finn. “Ignore him, Sunshine,” Poe said, before pulling up sharply, clearly embarrassed. “I guess I didn’t ask your name earlier,” he said giving her a sheepish grin, his hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck.

Rey shrugged her shoulders, smiling widely back at him. She liked the name ‘Sunshine’. Sunshine was one of the things she loved most about the human world so far.

“Is there something you would prefer us to call you?” Finn asked, as the wait staff entered the room with trays of food for them.

Rey shrugged again, feeling a little more awkward. _My name is Rey,_ she tried to say, but nothing came out.

Poe looked sympathetically at her, clearly trying to understand but unable to. “Can I call you ‘Sunshine’? Just until we can find a way for you to speak?” he asked, clearly hesitant to offend.

Rey nodded.

“Okay, Sunshine,” he repeated, his smile broadening. “Do you live in the kingdom?”

Rey shook her head.

Poe’s smile didn’t waver. “Would you like to see it? I can show you the gardens and the markets and the docks, we’ll make a day of it.”

 _Okay_ , Rey mouthed nodding along.

Finn looked like he wanted to say something, but shook his head, as if he already knew he wasn’t going to win whatever argument he’d been preparing.

Rey smiled as she picked up the utensil next to her, watching and then mimicking Poe’s movements as he cut into the meat the servants had placed in front of him and began to eat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think :)


End file.
